Atlanta United Falls 1-0 to Philadelphia Union Despite Spirited Effort at Home

Atlanta United dropped a hard-fought 1-0 result to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, despite multiple chances and a strong performance from goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Both sides started with energy and urgency. Philadelphia nearly opened the scoring early when Bruno Damiani found space in the box and fired a shot on target, but Guzan produced a diving save with his left glove to keep it out.

Atlanta responded in the 11th minute, with Brooks Lennon narrowly missing the frame after Miguel Almirón laid the ball off just outside the box. The Five Stripes continued to press, and Pedro Amador came closest to opening the scoring in the 17th minute. Following a defensive clearance, Amador volleyed a dangerous shot that was acrobatically pushed away by Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick.

Lennon left the match in the 20th minute with an apparent injury, replaced by Saba Lobjanidze. Atlanta continued to threaten, with Jamal Thiaré nearly scoring in the 30th minute off a glancing header that went inches wide.

The match remained scoreless until the 59th minute, when VAR ruled a handball on Luis Abram in the box. Substitute Tai Baribo converted the penalty, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner just beyond Guzan’s reach.

Atlanta ramped up its attack in search of an equalizer. In the 71st minute, Lobjanidze fired a low shot after a creative buildup, but Rick again came up big. Latte Lath also had a golden chance in the 80th minute, but his effort was blocked by a sliding defender.

In the dying moments of the match, Atlanta nearly found a dramatic equalizer in the 98th minute. Jay Fortune whipped in a cross that fell to Latte Lath, who laid it off to Derrick Williams in a 1-on-1 situation. However, Rick stood tall again, turning away the final attempt of the night.

Despite outshooting Philadelphia and generating several quality looks, Atlanta couldn’t find the back of the net.

Up Next: Atlanta United (2-7-5, 11 points) returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a Sunday Night Soccer matchup against FC Cincinnati on May 25 at 7:00 p.m. ET.